Defying Expectations
by FrankiIsObsessed
Summary: Harry and Draco hate each other, they also happen to work together (and secretly like each other really). What could go wrong?


CHAPTER ONE: 'The Only Good That Rita Skeeter Has Done In Her Entire Life'

A shrill blast woke the black-haired man from his slumber. He stuck out an arm to shut off the alarm without leaving his warm cocoon of blankets.

A few moments later, Harry Potter groaned as he threw back the covers and exposed himself to the brisk morning air. He slowly swung his feet to the floor and stood, shuffling to the bathroom.

* * *

Across the city, a blonde was going through his own morning routine.

Draco Malfoy had woken up half an hour previously. He was sitting at his kitchen table drinking coffee and eating a bowl of cereal. Grasped in his left hand was the most recent edition of the _Daily Prophet_, the cover showing a picture of one dark-haired wizard.

''_Potter_,'' Draco sneered to the empty kitchen. ''Still thinking that he's better than everybody else!'' He took a large sip of his drink, and yelped as it burned his tongue. The blonde scowled at the offending mug as he set it back down on the table.

Soft classical music filtered through the air of the sunny kitchen, aiding the blonde in relaxing. Shafts of sunlight slanted through the open window and bathed Draco in warm light. It was a sight to behold! Unfortunately, there was no one around _to_ behold it.

Finishing his breakfast, Draco rose from the table to deposit his dirty bowl and spoon in the sink, flicking a quick _Scourgify_ at them with his hand. He took a tentative sip of the now-cooled coffee before taking a large gulp. With a few more mouthfuls, the drink was gone. Then, the blonde wandered back down the hallway and into his bedroom to dress for the day.

* * *

Harry was just climbing out the shower when his Floo chimed from the living room of his flat. ''Just a minute!'' he called out as he scrambled to pull on some clothes.

A few rushed minutes later, the black-haired man was kneeling on the plush rug before the fireplace. ''Harry?'' a familiar voice asked as the man in question activated the connection.

''Ron!'' Harry answered, grinning widely. ''How are you?''

''I'm good thanks, mate,'' his best friend replied happily. However, Ron's tone turned sombre when he uttered his next words. ''Look I'm calling 'coz we've been called in,''

Harry sighed; just what he needed.

''What is it this time?'' he asked, resigned.

''Reports have come through concerning a stolen magical artefact,'' Ron explained. ''As the most famous pair of Aurors, Robards wants us to head the investigation,''

Harry sighed; there went his quiet Thursday. ''I'll be there,'' he told Ron before shutting off the connection.

Rising from the floor, Harry crossed the living room into the sun-lit kitchen. He filled the kettle before clicking it on to boil and getting down his favourite mug: it was sky blue and had _#1 Godfather_ written on it in Rose's shaky handwriting. It had been his birthday present from Ron and Hermione's oldest last year.

While the kettle boiled, Harry got out a bowl and spoon. He poured the cereal into the bowl along with some milk and began eating, still standing at the counter. The _Daily Prophet_ was sitting innocently on the marble countertop so Harry opened it out flat and began to read.

''On the front cover _again_?'' he muttered to himself as he noticed his own picture. ''What for this time?'' Harry skimmed the article while spooning cereal into his mouth. Apparently, he'd single-handedly saved a whole orphanage last week. Harry sighed. That wasn't even _remotely_ true!

Just at that moment, the kettle dinged to signify it had finished boiling. Harry put down his bowl and moved to pour the hot water into his mug along with a tea bag.

While the tea was brewing, the black-haired man finished his cereal, placing the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher. Harry then picked up the newspaper and sat down at the kitchen table. The front page article, written by Rita Skeeter (of _course_) went on to detail the event at the orphanage, leaving out all the other people that had been involved. There was barely any mention of Ron and the other Aurors, and none at all of Malfoy; who had been the Potions expert who assisted on the case. Then again, the Malfoys had been on the wrong side during the war so perhaps it was best that Draco Malfoy hadn't been mentioned.

Sighing, Harry rose and removed the tea bag from the mug, opening the fridge to add milk from the carton. The Boy Who Lived picked up the mug and left the kitchen, leaving the newspaper spread out on the table.

* * *

Draco arrived at the Ministry for Magic atrium shortly before 9am to discover a considerable queue had already formed at the lifts. Sighing, he joined the back behind a red-haired wizard in Auror robes. Draco glanced around absentmindedly, trying to entertain himself while the queue steadily moved forward.

''-saw the paper this morning,'' a voice said, the sound coming from in front of Draco. Some form of recognition nagged at Draco, he _knew_ that voice.

''Yeah, and?'' a different voice replied, sounding bored.

''I hated the way that Skeeter gave me all the credit _again_. It's so _infuriating_!'' Now Draco recognised that voice: The Boy Who bloody Lived, Harry Potter.

''I very much doubt that, _Potter_,'' Draco sneered. The two men in front of him spun to face the former Slytherin.

''No one asked you, Malfoy,'' Weasley spat. Potter put a hand on his friend's arm.

''Ron, don't. Malfoy, I meant it when I said that I don't enjoy getting all of the credit.'' Draco scoffed. ''I don't!'' Potter insisted.

''Save it for your adoring fans, Potter,'' Draco snapped. At that moment, the queue moved so that Potter was at the front. The black-haired man turned to regard the lift which had just arrived.

Weasley gave his friend a shove in the back and they both moved forward, Weasley turning to glare at Draco as the blonde followed them into the lift. What did that idiot expect him to do? Wait for the next lift to avoid them? He had work to do too.

To say that the ride down into the depths of the Ministry was uncomfortable was like proclaiming that the sky was blue; a statement so obvious it did not require stating. When the lift finally arrived at Level 2 for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it felt like eons had passed.

The lift doors opened and the two former Gryffindors departed, along with a few others. Draco watched The Boy Who Lived and his moronic best friend disappear around the corner before the lift doors closed and Draco was moving once again.

Draco stormed into his office 3 minutes behind schedule in a very bad mood. His office mate, Anthony Goldstein, jumped in his chair as Draco slammed the door shut with his magic.

''Hey, Draco. Everything alright?'' Goldstein asked.

''Shut up, Goldstein,'' Draco retorted, sitting down heavily in his desk chair. The former Ravenclaw looked at Draco, he appeared to be doing an impression of a pathetic puppy. Draco sighed.

''I apologise for snapping at you, Goldstein. I had a run-in with Potter and Weasley this morning, the encounter put me in a bad mood.'' Goldstein seemed to perk up, he enjoyed a good gossip. Draco sometimes believed he should have been in Gryffindor not Ravenclaw at Hogwarts.

''What happened?'' Goldstein inquired eagerly.

''Once again, Potter has gained the glory for a case with barely a mention of the other Aurors and no mention of myself. That bloody Skeeter woman _idolises_ the Boy Who fucking Lived! And he claims that he doesn't enjoy the attention but he's a filthy liar. It's _obvious_ that he basks in all the attention,'' Draco ranted, voice growing louder and hands flailing more with each word.

''Perhaps, he really doesn't like the attention,'' Goldstein piped up. Draco shut him up with a fiery glare.

''Shut up, Goldstein!'' Draco snapped, fuming silently as he spread out his paperwork and started work for the day.

* * *

Harry was quiet as he and Ron walked from the lift into their shared office after their run-in with Malfoy. Upon arrival at the office, Ron went straight to his desk, cursing under his breath (presumably about Malfoy), while Harry lingered in the doorway. After a moment, Harry followed Ron's lead and the green-eyed man sat himself at his own desk.

''Bloody git!'' Ron piped up suddenly.

''Definitely about Malfoy,'' Harry muttered under his breath. When Ron glared at him, Harry smiled innocently. Ron just shook his head and started working, still fuming. Harry sat back in his chair and considered the paperwork before him: the casefile for the new case they'd been assigned to that morning.

The case looked simple enough, a shop in Diagon Alley had had a priceless and dangerous magical artifact stolen and had enlisted the help of the Ministry and its department of Aurors to find said object. However, the artifact: a palm-sized, glowing gem which had the power to make any liquid it was dropped into turn into a potion that could cause great harm to the consumer, was proving very difficult to locate.

Harry read through the file slowly, making sure to pay close attention to every detail that the Aurors previously working the case had logged. Herondale and Lightwood were brilliant Aurors but they had had to admit defeat, hence why Harry and Ron had been drafted in to assist.

''Ron,'' Harry said. ''Let's go check out the crime scene.'' Ron looked up from his desk, nodded and began gathering his things.

* * *

Draco glanced up at the clock and blanched as he realised that it was time for his lunch break already. Goldstein was still sat at his desk, working, when Draco looked over.

''Goldstein,'' Draco addressed the other man who looked up. ''Shall we go to lunch?'' The other man looked at the clock and nodded.

''Sure, let me just finish this,'' he responded, gesturing at the work spread out on the desk before him.

''Of course,'' Draco replied, gathering his belongings ready to leave.

A few moments later, Goldstein rose from his desk and Draco started for the door. The pair stepped out into the busy hallway, Goldstein shutting and locking the door behind them.

''Where to today?'' Goldstein asked as Draco led the way down the corridor to the lifts.

''Local?'' Draco suggested, meaning the local pub that the pair frequented during their lunch hour.

''Sounds good,'' Goldstein responded, stepping into the lift as it arrived. Draco stepped in behind him and off they went.

* * *

Harry and Ron arrived in the Leaky Cauldron by Floo, and immediately headed to the back wall which would take them through to Diagon Alley. Tom the owner greeted the pair as they passed the bar where he was serving a young couple.

The pair of Aurors passed through the brick wall and began to walk down the main street of Diagon Alley. When they reached the archway that marked the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Harry and Ron passed into the darkness.

''So where are we headed?'' Asked Ron.

''Borgin and Burkes,'' Harry replied, steering Ron to the shopfront.

''Great,'' Ron responded sarcastically. Ignoring him, Harry opened the door to the store that had featured in his nightmares on more than one occasion. The two entered the shop and were greeted gruffly by Mr Borgin who was perched on a stool behind a grimy shop counter.

''What d'ya want?'' He demanded. Harry cleared his throat.

''Mr Borgin, we are Aurors from the Ministry and have recently been assigned to the case of your missing artefact,'' Harry explained. The hostile man calmed marginally at this information. Mr Borgin stood from behind the counter and gestured with his head.

''Follow me,'' the shopkeep instructed, disappearing through a darkened doorway at the back of the shop. Harry and Ron exchanged a _look_ before following hesitantly.

On the other side of the door was a dingy hallway lit only by a few wall lamps covered in cobwebs. Mr Borgin had paused at the far end of the narrow corridor and was looking rather impatient.

The two Aurors moved carefully down the passage - nasty surprises tended to happen in their line of work. They made it to the other end of the short hallway without any trouble and followed the shopkeeper as he passed into the room at the end, which was much better lit than the corridor.

Beyond, Harry and Ron found themselves in the same room they had watched Malfoy enter a few years prior to view the Vanishing Cabinet. The pair exchanged a look and moved warily forward. Mr Borgin gestured to an empty display case.

''This is where it was, 'til somebody stole it that is,'' he explained, rather unnecessarily. Harry moved forward to inspect the case: the glass looked intact and he could detect a faint aura that suggested there were wards protecting what was supposed to be inside.

''So when did this happen, Mr Borgin?'' Ron inquired. The shopkeeper grumbled.

''I already told all a that to them other guys,'' he complained.

''Yes, well we've found it's better to hear it from the victim than read a casefile,'' Harry shot back, with perhaps a tad too much sass. Luckily, Ron stepped in before Mr Borgin could start shouting.

''Mr Borgin, we understand that you have already explained to our associates but, if you don't mind, we would very much appreciate you explaining it again to us.'' The shopkeeper nodded begrudgingly and began to explain the crime.

* * *

Draco and Goldstein returned from their lunch 45 minutes after they left. The pair arrived back at their office door, located next to the office for the Removal of Curses, Jinxes and Hexes, to find a note stuck to the wood:

_**Mr Malfoy, please come see me in my office ~ G Robards**_

Draco stared at the note in dismay while Goldstein placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

''Bad luck, mate,'' the former Ravenclaw stated, unlocking the door to their office.

Collecting himself, Draco ripped down the note and crumpled it in his fist. He stepped into the office to drop the ball of parchment into the bin.

''I shall return,'' he stated, before turning on his heel and storming towards the lifts.

When one arrived, Draco pressed the button for Level 2 and waited for the contraption to take him up a level from Level 3: his current level.

''Level 2: Department of Magical Law Enforcement,'' the lift announced as the doors opened and Draco stepped out. Immediately, he strode in the direction of Head Auror Gawain Robards' office.

* * *

When Harry and Ron returned from their unhelpful trip to Diagon Alley, the pair collapsed into their respective office chairs with a sigh.

After a few moments of silence, Ron was the first to express how they were both feeling: ''Well that was useful!'' the redhead exclaimed sarcastically. Harry hummed in agreement, already turning his attention back to the casefile. ''That's weird,'' the black-haired man murmured, pulling out a photo from the file and placing it next to one of the one's Harry and Ron had taken.

''What is?'' Ron inquired, coming round his desk to stand over Harry's.

''This,'' Harry turned the photos so Ron could see them properly. ''The podium has been moved,'' the Boy Who Lived pointed at the bottom of the podium in the first photo, taken by Lightwood and Herondale, and then at the same place in the photo taken that day. ''Look at the dust. In the first photo, the dust around the podium is flush with the block. In the second, there's an area clear of dust at the front,'' Ron picked up the two photos and lifted them to his face.

''Blimey!'' He exclaimed. ''You're right!''

''Who's right about what?'' said a voice from the doorway. The pair of Aurors turned to see their boss: Gawain Robards, filling the opening.

''The dust pattern has changed between the two photos of the podium,'' Harry explained, gesturing Robards over to the desk. ''Suggesting that the podium has been moved.''

Robards peered at the photos and hummed. ''Yeah looks that way. Anyway,'' he started moving back towards the door. ''Two of you, my office, now.'' With that, Robards disappeared.

''Guess we better follow,' Ron commented, heading after Robards. Harry sighed, putting the photos back in the file and rising, file in hand.

''Let's go,'' he started after Ron into the corridor.


End file.
